The year was 1997 and only a the hardcore were aware of ECW. I was only 14 years old when this came out, and I bootlegged a copy of it. I go back all of these years and attempt to relive the glory days, review the show, and see what my thoughts are for 2023. If you haven’t seen ECW Barely Legal 1997, then you can see it on Peacock Network. However, I recommend that you get it through DVD as it is uncensored. This review is based on that, the uncensored edition of Barely Legal from ECW from 1997!
The Eliminators defeated The Dudley Boyz for the ECW Tag
Team Championship
John Kronus and Perry Saturn make up the Eliminators and
they put on a showcase of high flying, fast paced wrestling. This match was to
show them off more than anything, and that’s all I really recall from watching
this again. The Dudley Boyz have a few moments, but it’s Saturn and Kronus
jumping, diving, and throwing down the gauntlet that makes this a great match
overall. It’s fast, to the point and while it’s not long one but it’s entertaining
overall.
Rob Van Dam defeated Lance Storm
You have to put on your thinking cap folks, because these
two are educated grapplers. They are high flyers, with a knack for awe
inspiring moves. Lance Storm and Rob Van Dam put on a very back and forth match,
with each one exchanging high flying moves, and reversals, the likes you would
see now in every day matches. However, for 1997 this was a showcase of what the
future modern style would be like. Storm and Van Dam put on a great 10 minute
contest and really do well with one another. It’s smooth, it’s back and forth,
and Van Dam gets the win, which is not half bad. Good second match, even though
Van Dam was mad that he had to play second fiddle to Chris Candido’s injury.
The Great Sasuke, Gran Hamada, and Masato Yakushiji
defeated BWO Japan (Taka Michinoku, Terry Boy, and Dick Togo) in a Six Man Tag
Match
People are spoiled today. The style of wrestling that you
see with this match is the standard amidst most all middleweight to lightweight
superstars. There’s a mix of Japanese strong style, and lucha libre here, and
it is back and forth a great deal. This is a modern match but it was done in
1997. Taka would go to the WWF at the time, and you’d also see Great Sasuke
there for Canadian Stampede, if I recall correctly. This was very much back and
forth, with a lot of double and even triple team moves, with an overall winner
of Sasuke, Hamada, and Yakushiji, but it could’ve gone either way. One of the
best matches on the card, and something a little different for the 1997 fan
that was witnessing this for the first time.
Shane Douglas defeated Pitbull 2 in the ECW TV
Championship Match
Maybe it was the fatigue of working 10 hour days, or maybe
it was just that this match wasn’t that great, but something was off. Shane
Douglas has been in some barn burners, but this was not it. This went 20
minutes and it was definitely not a great one. Pitbull is adequate, but it
appeared he was blown up after a while, and Douglas slowed the pace down a bit.
There were some insane moments, don’t get me wrong, but this was a much slower,
and meandering match compared to what we had seen thus far. For 1997, this
wasn’t bad, but for 2023 it just seemed a little much, and a bit boring at
times. I had a hard time getting into it, even though I’m a Shane Douglas fan.
Taz defeated Sabu
Taz was wasted in WWE if you ask me. He was amazing in ECW
and he did a lot of great work to make himself look like a monster. Hats off to
him and Sabu for this one. Both men fought back and for about 17 minutes they
put on a show of hardcore wrestling and it wasn’t half bad. Taz was the one
that was doing more technical while Sabu was throwing himself at Taz, making
for an interesting match indeed. Sabu would lose this one, but not without
fighting hard to get a chance against Taz.
Terry Funk defeated The Sandman and Stevie Richards
This was a brawl, a 19 minutes slug fest with these three
wrestlers. Stevie Richards is the most athletic overall, as Sandman and Terry
Funk weren’t that great at this stage in their careers. Sandman and Funk were
more hardcore wrestling archetypes in this match, meanwhile Richards was trying
to include some semblance of wrestling. A good match, with lots of brawling,
but it went a little long for my liking. Introducing a ladder, a trash can, and
Terry Funk nearly eating it on a moonsault is something to see for yourself. A
great affair this is not, but it was definitely a nice brawl.
Terry Funk defeated Raven for the ECW Championship
Terry Funk was already half dead at the start of this match.
He just went through two others, and by the time Raven stormed the ring, he was
definitely out. Raven would seem to have an easy opponent, only to find himself
struggling to put away Funk. Funk would stick his ground, and box Raven even
though Raven was the fresh man. This was a short brawl, under 10 minutes, and a
roll up would get the pinfall and the crowd would go nuts! A Good brawl to send
the fans home happy.
Final Thoughts:
Once again we visit 1997 and it isn’t bad. This first outing
had a good deal of wrestling, and the guys put on a good showcase overall. For
the most part, I liked it, even the dull parts. I liked the brawling, lucha
style, and the overall offering. I liked the Japanese match the most, as it was
most modern, but I dug the offering overall, and recommend this one. I give it
a 3 out of 5.
You can see ECW Barely Legally 1997 on the peacock network,
or you could track down the DVD for uncensored action.
